Mary Earps Joins London City Lionesses: A New Chapter Begins
Mary Earps is back in the WSL – but not where many expected.
The former England No 1 has signed a two-year deal with London City Lionesses, officially joining on July 1 when her contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires. At 33, with a World Cup final and a European title on her CV, she is walking into a club that has only just found its feet in the top flight and is trying to sprint before it has even learned to jog.
That is exactly why she’s going.
A champion drops into an upstart
Earps returns to England two years after leaving Manchester United, where she built a formidable legacy: 102 appearances, 45 clean sheets, a constant presence as United grew into contenders. She left the WSL as one of its most reliable goalkeepers. She comes back as one of the global faces of the women’s game.
Her international story adds another layer. Last summer she stepped away from England duty in a shock decision, barely five weeks before the Euros, after losing the starting spot to Hannah Hampton. For a player who had been central to England’s Euro 2022 triumph and their run to the World Cup final a year later, it felt like the end of a chapter written far too abruptly.
Earps clearly doesn’t see it as an ending at all.
“I feel I still have so much left to give to the game, and that's exactly why I chose London City,” she said as the move was confirmed. The message was unmistakable: this is not a retirement tour. This is a reset.
London City’s big swing
London City are not behaving like a club entering only their second season in the WSL. Promoted for the first time last year, they finished a respectable sixth, a mid-table side on paper but a club with ideas far beyond consolidation.
Those ideas now have a face.
Earps spoke about alignment, values and vision, the kind of language that can sound hollow unless backed by substance. In this case, there is plenty. The club is building a new training facility and operating under the deep pockets and big ambition of owner Michele Kang, who has made no secret of her desire to push London City towards the elite.
“The vision and ambition, including the new training facility, is incredible,” Earps said. “It shows what our owner, Michele, and everyone at the club want to do in terms of really going for it. It's about putting a marker down and saying we want to be competitive in a short space of time.”
That marker is starting to look bolder by the week. London City have strong interest in Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, a move that would send shockwaves through the women’s game. Landing Earps alone already feels like a coup; pairing her with a player of Putellas’ stature would tilt the axis of the league.
Fixing the weak spot
For all the grand talk, the numbers from last season were blunt. Eder Maestre’s side conceded 35 goals, more than the league average of 32. If you want to break into the division’s traditional top four, you do not do it with a leaky back line.
Earps changes that conversation immediately.
She is not just a shot-stopper; she is an organiser, a presence, a goalkeeper who drags standards upwards. London City already have a talented No 1 in Elene Lete, who impressed with sharp saves and decisive interventions last term. Earps is not arriving to push anyone aside quietly; she is arriving to raise the level of an entire unit.
“I'm looking forward to working alongside Elene and the goalkeeping unit,” she said. “Hopefully, we can bounce off each other and work hard and enjoy it.”
Two high-level goalkeepers, one ambitious club, and a defence that needs tightening. The stakes are obvious.
More than a marquee name
This move is not only about profile, even if Earps brings plenty of that. It is about culture.
Earps talked repeatedly about values and impact. “The club's values represent what I want to represent and they are passionate about what I want to achieve and change the game in a positive way,” she explained. “All the conversations have been really positive and every time I spoke with the club I wanted to hear more.”
For a club still shaping its identity in the WSL, having someone of her stature buy into the project is powerful. Supporters will see a goalkeeper who has stood on the biggest stages in the sport choosing their badge, their colours, their fight.
Her message to those fans was direct: “I'm really excited to get started and make some memories together. I can't wait to play in front of you all.”
Climbing from solid to serious
London City’s first WSL campaign, by any sensible measure, was a success: mid-table, no relegation drama, flashes of genuine quality. Earps is not joining to repeat that story.
“The team had a brilliant 2025/26 season, finishing mid-table in their first season, now it's about climbing the table and working towards finishing as high as possible,” she said. The target is clear. Respectability is no longer enough.
There will be questions. How do you blend a growing cast of big names into a cohesive team? Football history is littered with glamorous projects that never quite clicked. The men’s game offers obvious cautionary tales – Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé at PSG being the most glaring example of star power without the right chemistry.
London City are walking that tightrope now. Big money, big ambition, big personalities. It can ignite a club or suffocate it.
What is beyond doubt is that signing Mary Earps significantly improves them. It hardens their spine, sharpens their competitive edge and sends a message across the league that this is not a novelty act from a newly promoted side.
The WSL is “extremely competitive,” as Earps herself acknowledged. She has chosen one of its boldest projects, at one of its most fragile stages. If London City are serious about breaking the glass ceiling of the top four, this is the kind of risk they have to take.
And if Earps truly has “so much more left to give,” as she insists, this might be the move that proves it – not in the comfort of an established giant, but in the restless, ambitious chaos of a club trying to crash the party.
